Industry News

Free-Space Optics Market Up 11% in 2013

Valerie C. Coffey

January 31, 2014 – The market for free-space optics (FSO) link devices in non-military/aerospace applications reached $33.49 million in 2013, up 11% from $29.83 million in 2012, according to a report from market research firm ElectroniCast Consultants (Aptos, Calif., U.S.A.).

The report, “Free Space Optics Global Market Forecast & Analysis,” released this month, says most of this growth of FSO transmitter and receiver pairs used in stationary non-military and aerospace system equipment is in link equipment with a range of less than 500 m, with a global market value of $23.06 million in 2013.

FSO communication links use directed laser beams to transmit optical voice, video and data signals across free line-of-sight applications between point A and point B. A single link often incorporates multiple transmitters and receivers to optimize performance and overcome interference from sources like rain, fog and smoke. Applications include railway/subway signaling, tunnels, airports, parking structures, and Ethernet, SONET/SDH, ATM, FDDI and other communications protocols in Metro, access/last mile, and fiber to the x (FTTx), among other uses.

While the biggest market is currently in the United States and Canada, the study predicts the fastest growth through 2019 in the Asia-Pacific region, where the market is rapidly expanding. Other growth markets include major cities in Europe and Latin America.